I once dated a Romanian girl from Transylvania, county Hunedoara, and I believe the city of Deva/Stanija. Anyway, I recall she had a small glass of water to which she lit a match and made the sign of the cross over the water then doused the match with the water. I don't recall if she drank it or not. I do recall that she absolutely would not talk about it. Do any of my Romanian friends here know what that was about?

that's an easy one. It's to cure the effects of the evil eye (deochi) or "najit"

I once dated a Romanian girl from Transylvania, county Hunedoara, and I believe the city of Deva/Stanija. Anyway, I recall she had a small glass of water to which she lit a match and made the sign of the cross over the water then doused the match with the water. I don't recall if she drank it or not. I do recall that she absolutely would not talk about it. Do any of my Romanian friends here know what that was about?

my maternal grandfather-that, in appearance, at least, as everybody that knew him, tells me-I take after, was from that county, not far from there, a little village called Pravaleni; anyways when his sister died in their ancestral village, I remember that when they buried her there was a glass of 'palinka" on the table before the priest, and they poured some in little glasses of which the priest and the chanter sipped at some point during the ceremony. Unusual i think, even by the region's standards.

I once dated a Romanian girl from Transylvania, county Hunedoara, and I believe the city of Deva/Stanija. Anyway, I recall she had a small glass of water to which she lit a match and made the sign of the cross over the water then doused the match with the water. I don't recall if she drank it or not. I do recall that she absolutely would not talk about it. Do any of my Romanian friends here know what that was about?

that's an easy one. It's to cure the effects of the evil eye (deochi) or "najit"

I remember her downplaying the deochi, but then she had all these little ceremonies to ward them off. I also remember her mailing her newborn niece a piece of red string. Same thing?

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"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying

I'm amazed at how much superstition seems to come out of Romania. It makes me quite interested in visiting.

That's why I said every known superstition is found in the Carpathian horseshoe.

What is the Carpathian horseshoe?

It's a phrase invented by Robert Kaplan in his book 'Balkan Ghosts'. I think he may have borrowed it from Bram Stoker's book "Dracula";

"I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting." ~Jonathan Harker

I would LOVE to visit Romania; so much history, tragedy, and triumph.

« Last Edit: October 07, 2013, 08:31:05 PM by GabrieltheCelt »

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"The Scots-Irish; Brewed in Scotland, bottled in Ireland, uncorked in America." ~Scots-Irish saying

Ye ghosts,Ye undead,Ye of the weak hour,Ye the unclean spirit,Ye the evil eye,Ye who cast the evil eye!

May you stop fretting,May you change your mind,May you settle down,May you keep quiet,Leaving N. alone,Clean and bright,As God let him be.

Otherwise, I’ll be on my way, on the path;and the Theotokos will meet me,and I’ll make mea ladder of waxand I’ll climb up to God,I’ll go to the Elder-of-the-Forest,To the Mother-of-the-Woods, And still find the cure.

As the door turnsIn its hinge,As the week comes 'round,So may you return, May you settle down,May you keep quiet,Leaving N. alone,Clean and bright,As God let him be.

I've always liked the one I read once about burning a candle for the dead in a jar of rice so you can scatter the rice outside the the house. If the dead person comes back as a werewolf, he will be too distracted by counting all the rice to come inside the house. I think it's Romanian?

It sure sounds like it's Romanian.

maybe not universally Romanian but it's practiced in my region. Usually wheat berries or poppy-seed.

Quote

In order to stop the frightful invasion of the dead from the other world into our own as strigoi, popular magic knows several practices, of which I’ll report some, aside from the more common ones, which I’ve picked up while doing field work in the Plain of the Timiș (Beregsău).

- Putting a cross made of wild rose (rosa canina) twigs under the dead body, when it is placed in the coffin, so that it stings its back.

- Piercing the body’s heart (before it is dressed) with a red-hot needle.

- Surrounding the body with a black (woolen) thread in the coffin, and the day after the funeral surrounding the grave with black thread, after which the thread is set on fire in different places so as to turn it into ashes.

- Putting a sickle under the wooden plank on which the dead lies at home.

- Burning the four corners of the funeral shroud with a candle is also known as “ironing the dead”. With the candle flame a little bit of the linen that will cover the dead person’s face is burned. This shroud (called borungiuc) will separate him from the world of the living. The four spots where the linen is burnt symbolize a fire cross, which is meant to seal the dead forever in the other world.

- Putting a fistful of poppy seed in the coffin, before the body is put in, just in case the dead will return as a strigoi. When he wakes up, he will see the poppy seed and start counting it, and he won’t come to the world of the living until he has finished counting…

About this last practice, I would like to note a similarity: if a bride wants no children from a marriage, at the church wedding she throws as many poppy seeds as years she wants to stay without child.

(...)

Around Făget (Timiș county), I have encountered a belief (and a corresponding practice) which I found unsettling, at the very least. The custom of tying the feet of the dead (‘lest he stiffen with them spread unseemly’) is well known. The feet are tied together over the shoes. But it is a big mistake and a grave sin to forget the dead with his feet bound, to put the lid on the the coffin and let the priest pour the wine over it and bury the dead this way, with his feet tied up. In the other world, he’ll be stumbling forever.

In the area of Făget people believe that the soul keeps wandering around the world for three weeks and in the evenings he comes back home tired and he tries to settle under the eaves, between the windows (that’s why a glass of water is left on the sill for him to quench his thirst). After three weeks, for reasons that nobody explained to me, he either cannot find his rest or he returns with an unclean power and thus turns into a strigoi. A strigoi would thus be the dead empowered with an unknown strength. What’s weird is that such a strigoi would not only come at night or pull different pranks on the living, but he would make his presence felt, and – even more weird – he would stay indoors all the time (night and day!), more exactly where he used to spend his time while alive. And now what’s peculiar to this sort of strigoi: he is seen by certain men (who those villagers believe have the power, or have been cursed at birth, to turn into wolves).

I have met such a man on my way to the “plain of the Bighei” from Făget. He didn’t tell me much about himself, but he admitted that he could see the strigoi. The family who senses such a presence would invite the wizard: “Come, John, for our man won’t stay at the house he was moved to. Be so kind as to take him away and rid us of him!”

“Then I go, I see him and approach him nicely: 'Buddy or cousin, I say, let me take you to your home and leave these good people alone – stop bothering them!' Then I take a very thin thread, sewing thread, I tie it around his waist nicely and take him to his grave, to his cross. You should see – my strange acquaintance tells me – how the thread follows me outstretched! But then I lure him to the cemetery and tie the thread around his cross. And there he stays! I can take him at noon, around two o’clock.”

Yet the one who can “tie the strigoi” is shunned by people, who believe he is cursed to turn into a wolf; women would not marry such a man and the village fears him as though he were a strigoi himself.

That's interesting. Another thing I can remember from the nineties. There were a few years in the spring and the fall some pretty big floods of the Crisil Alb river and a few people drowned in it. Anyways the ritual used to find them involved the priest -a certain priest in fact quite renowned around there- blessing a round bread into which a lot candle was stuck, then they let the bread float on the river and the people around there would swear the bread with the candle wold go down at the exact place where the drowned person is.

That's interesting. Another thing I can remember from the nineties. There were a few years in the spring and the fall some pretty big floods of the Crisil Alb river and a few people drowned in it. Anyways the ritual used to find them involved the priest -a certain priest in fact quite renowned around there- blessing a round bread into which a lot candle was stuck, then they let the bread float on the river and the people around there would swear the bread with the candle wold go down at the exact place where the drowned person is.

The son of one of my father's colleagues drowned back then in the Olt river one summer. He was about my age and his name was Daniel. They searched for weeks to find his body - including with such a blessed colac, but they never found him...

That's interesting. Another thing I can remember from the nineties. There were a few years in the spring and the fall some pretty big floods of the Crisil Alb river and a few people drowned in it. Anyways the ritual used to find them involved the priest -a certain priest in fact quite renowned around there- blessing a round bread into which a lot candle was stuck, then they let the bread float on the river and the people around there would swear the bread with the candle wold go down at the exact place where the drowned person is.

Well I remember people talk how they found a drowned guy from Gurahont and one from Sebis that way. Must gave been early to mid-nineties.

From my study of oceanography and physics, when the bread is drawn down near the bottom of the river, it is most likely a current causing this action. That current could have pushed down the body of the deceased too. If there were a tree branch upon which the body could be snagged, it could stay down there indefinitely.

How more appropriate for blessed bread with a lit candle to lead the way!

I'm amazed at how much superstition seems to come out of Romania. It makes me quite interested in visiting.

That's why I said every known superstition is found in the Carpathian horseshoe.

What is the Carpathian horseshoe?

It's a phrase invented by Robert Kaplan in his book 'Balkan Ghosts'. I think he may have borrowed it from Bram Stoker's book "Dracula";

"I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting." ~Jonathan Harker

I would LOVE to visit Romania; so much history, tragedy, and triumph.

The Rusyns, Lemkos and western Ukrainians live in the northern part of the horseshoe and I have heard many of these same customs from the old timers who have long passed on. Only a few live on today in America. Entering and leaving the house from the same door is one, not taking an old broom to a new house is another, leaving a broom by the kitchen door (not just for practical reasons apparently) is another, exclaiming 'It's true' when someone yawns while uttering a statement and a number of quaint wedding and Christmas eve customs hang in there. The death ones are relegated where they belong, to history's dustbin.

I'm amazed at how much superstition seems to come out of Romania. It makes me quite interested in visiting.

That's why I said every known superstition is found in the Carpathian horseshoe.

What is the Carpathian horseshoe?

It's a phrase invented by Robert Kaplan in his book 'Balkan Ghosts'. I think he may have borrowed it from Bram Stoker's book "Dracula";

"I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting." ~Jonathan Harker

I would LOVE to visit Romania; so much history, tragedy, and triumph.

Romanians are the best, western Romanians. The uppity ones from the capital can toss themselves in the sea.

I know we have more than a few prolific posters who are Romanian here, so I hate to go on about my general love for the people, but for my money, (and I think I can still buy people in both countries) Romanians and Iranians, after my own kind of course, are some of the best people ever.

If I could snap my fingers tonight and know two languages, it would be those.

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Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

The blue eye is to protect oneself from the "evil eye" and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has spread beyond to many cultures, but it's sold at Greek festivals, because it's "Greek", of course.

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

The blue eye is to protect oneself from the "evil eye" and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has spread beyond to many cultures, but it's sold at Greek festivals, because it's "Greek", of course.

Oh! I have a bracelet with those blue eyes on it. I got it at a summer festival this past summer.

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

The blue eye is to protect oneself from the "evil eye" and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has spread beyond to many cultures, but it's sold at Greek festivals, because it's "Greek", of course.

Oh! I have a bracelet with those blue eyes on it. I got it at a summer festival this past summer.

Has it helped?

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

The blue eye is to protect oneself from the "evil eye" and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has spread beyond to many cultures, but it's sold at Greek festivals, because it's "Greek", of course.

Oh! I have a bracelet with those blue eyes on it. I got it at a summer festival this past summer.

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

They actually sell these at my church's festival. Bracelets and necklaces, of which I had bought a bracelet two years ago that I have yet to wear. I thought this was part of our faith. Apparently not so, and could someone explain why they are a staple in our church festivals?

The blue eye is to protect oneself from the "evil eye" and is common throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has spread beyond to many cultures, but it's sold at Greek festivals, because it's "Greek", of course.

i read its actually Turkish in origin. The greeks adopted it during the Turkish occupation, and it kinda stuck. its a good seller at festivals and bassars and such thats why its still around and also cause ppl dont realy invest time in reasearch. they just parrot what otheres say unknowigly if its correct or not. it has nothing to do with greek heritage and definitly nothing to do with Orthodoxy, quite the reverse, its pagan.

Perhaps the Greeks adopted the nazar, the blue eye amulet, during Turkish occupation (I doubt it), but the belief in the evil eye and having amulets to protect it are really, really ancient.

wish i could remember where i read its turkish, but i cant. you could be right, how ancient are you saying it is? the only thing i can say for sure is thats its pagan/occult. thats according to many priests ive spoken to about it, all cringe when its brought up as being Orthodox and or Greek. i think its something from the past that they wish would just dissapear not. Yeat they ALWAAYS are for sale at every greek church bazar!?

Perhaps the Greeks adopted the nazar, the blue eye amulet, during Turkish occupation (I doubt it), but the belief in the evil eye and having amulets to protect it are really, really ancient.

wish i could remember where i read its turkish, but i cant. you could be right, how ancient are you saying it is? the only thing i can say for sure is thats its pagan/occult. thats according to many priests ive spoken to about it, all cringe when its brought up as being Orthodox and or Greek. i think its something from the past that they wish would just dissapear not. Yeat they ALWAAYS are for sale at every greek church bazar!?

The idea of the "evil eye", IIRC, is common through almost every culture in the world and was known in ancient Egypt and Babylon. There have always been superstitions and amulets to protect oneself. The blue eye that's so common in Greece comes from the hamsa, which looks like a hand. It's been used in Jewish and Muslim culture, but it predates that.

Here's one variation:

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Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

Perhaps the Greeks adopted the nazar, the blue eye amulet, during Turkish occupation (I doubt it), but the belief in the evil eye and having amulets to protect it are really, really ancient.

wish i could remember where i read its turkish, but i cant. you could be right, how ancient are you saying it is? the only thing i can say for sure is thats its pagan/occult. thats according to many priests ive spoken to about it, all cringe when its brought up as being Orthodox and or Greek. i think its something from the past that they wish would just dissapear not. Yeat they ALWAAYS are for sale at every greek church bazar!?

The idea of the "evil eye", IIRC, is common through almost every culture in the world and was known in ancient Egypt and Babylon. There have always been superstitions and amulets to protect oneself. The blue eye that's so common in Greece comes from the hamsa, which looks like a hand. It's been used in Jewish and Muslim culture, but it predates that.

Perhaps the Greeks adopted the nazar, the blue eye amulet, during Turkish occupation (I doubt it), but the belief in the evil eye and having amulets to protect it are really, really ancient.

wish i could remember where i read its turkish, but i cant. you could be right, how ancient are you saying it is? the only thing i can say for sure is thats its pagan/occult. thats according to many priests ive spoken to about it, all cringe when its brought up as being Orthodox and or Greek. i think its something from the past that they wish would just dissapear not. Yeat they ALWAAYS are for sale at every greek church bazar!?

The idea of the "evil eye", IIRC, is common through almost every culture in the world and was known in ancient Egypt and Babylon. There have always been superstitions and amulets to protect oneself. The blue eye that's so common in Greece comes from the hamsa, which looks like a hand. It's been used in Jewish and Muslim culture, but it predates that.

Here's one variation:

I think the Turkish nazar type are also common in Greece.

I used to give komboloi to male coworkers when I found out they were getting married (without explanation, of course). I am now thinking that I should give out the evil eye version to coworkers in need of a wife. It would aid in their chances in that it shows that they are not only protective but also prepared for all contingencies.

I remember how old women would greet us kids back home: " ptiu (spitting here) may I not cast an evil eye on you"("ptu, nu te'as d'iot'e" or "sa nu te d'iuat" in the local patois).

Exactly the same is done and said by Greeks. Oddly, in my experience at least, I've never come across mention of the evil eye and warding it off among Russians, considering their own multitude of folk customs and superstitions.

Has the Greek Church done anything to stop this stupid belief in superstitions?

Yes. We're technically banned from wearing the mati. I wear one usually because of its sentimental value or an ethnic marker (but not as a protector against the evil eye, I'm not a xoriatis, that'd be ridiculous), and every time I get busted by my parish priests or their wives, I'm given the same speech about Jesus Christ saves and not a stupid, pagan piece of glass. My Mother and I are made to take it off in front of the priests so we don't slink away and put it back on, although we usually end up doing it a few days later, my Mother especially because every single time she complains that hers is made with 18k gold.

Actually, come to think of it, I think we should be more worried with our obsession with displaying our wealth with jewellery than a piece of glass. Aw jeez, I hate self-realisations like this...

To my surprise, there seems to be very little superstition among my fellow Old Believers.

Beyond some belief that the towel a couple toes at their marriage being touched by the Holy Spirit, I can't think of anything that qualifies.

Then there's the story of my family's curse or whatever...

« Last Edit: October 20, 2013, 12:00:48 AM by Hawkeye »

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Quote from: The Life of Ivan Neronov

[Ecclesiastics] conspired against him because they hated his teaching for its zealous emphasis on proper Christian conduct: with great courage he denounced all whom he saw behaving in an ungodly fashion... [As such] he was deprived of his priestly rank, bound in iron chains, and broken down in jails.

Earlier today at the town's cemetery, and in front of the priests, someone broke a plate at the grave of the deseased. This is supposed to prevent another death in the family! One priest who was present told them off twice, apparently the plate was not a willing participant

This being before he started his commune, it's hilarious - if easily explainable - how much Vissarion visually borrowed from Russian Orthodoxy: chotki, the sign of blessing, and even the wearing of blue on red.

The Old Believers (priested, it seems) presented are most definitely crazy. Never heard of any stump-gods or sunken cities in my neck of the woods.

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Quote from: The Life of Ivan Neronov

[Ecclesiastics] conspired against him because they hated his teaching for its zealous emphasis on proper Christian conduct: with great courage he denounced all whom he saw behaving in an ungodly fashion... [As such] he was deprived of his priestly rank, bound in iron chains, and broken down in jails.

This being before he started his commune, it's hilarious - if easily explainable - how much Vissarion visually borrowed from Russian Orthodoxy: chotki, the sign of blessing, and even the wearing of blue on red.

The Old Believers (priested, it seems) presented are most definitely crazy. Never heard of any stump-gods or sunken cities in my neck of the woods.

Well, with Herzog you never know how much is staged and how much "real life". Vissarion may well be a fictional character played by an actor...